Upon further review, yeah, get the Miller board.

A big Scarlet > Fire is the red meat of this show, plus some fantastically cool soloing from Jer on Estimated.

Of course, we have the famous "Banjo Lessons" Space and World to Give - not my favorite tune from the 'Shakedown' album - out of context this song tends to be one of Hunter's more surprisingly softball and overly sentimental lyrics - still, this version is amazing live, with Jerry really letting loose at the end.

A&A - this song was never better than in these later Donna days - what a slam-bang rockin' finale to the suite! Really, this is a great 2nd set all-around.

Make no mistake this is a killer show through and through. I think it is clearly the best of the run and why they did not release this instead of the other nights is truly beyond me. It is to everyone's benefit though since that means it is still low hanging fruit.

The girl who comes on stage and asks Jerry for banjo lessons before World to Give is testimony to the discomBobulation that was clearly taking place. Garcia's gracious response is classic.

All this said, this matrix is flawed. It has sync issues that can be plainly heard in Estimated if you want a sample to evaluate. No disrespect to those who put in the effort, but it is not the best choice for quality here. The Audience flavor comes through enough on the board to get it on the other sources, and the Aud. version is way too prominent given the quality of these boards.

I have combed all of the versions here relentlessly in search of the best one, and the Miller 32906 is the best to my ears even though it lacks the Aud patches. I don't know how a lower SHN ID can have a more recent date, but that is the case here. It should be on your 'desert island' or bug-out bag list.

You know it's got to be good.

Unusual for me to review a "same date." I have previously reviewed this show on this site. What would keep me coming back to this night?

Would it be because the GD were on fire from the get-go? Would it be because this was one of those ol' special shows that one keeps coming back to? Would it be because I attended all five of these shows and found this one to be the most energized?

Yes! All of the above! Look, kids, this was a very special night in Winterland. It was a Tuesday night. The place was not sold out. There was room to move. It was clearly obvious from the exact second that the band donned the stage that they were juiced and ready to play to the hometown tunalics.

And play they did. From Promised alla way thru Jerry attacks his Wolf like Jack the Ripper.

The first second is pure gold. All the songs delivered with total vigor and reckless dispatch.

In this matrix recording a listener can clearly detect the general airiness of a rather loosely attended audience. Indeed, as I had done before on weekday opening nights, I deliberately arrived a few milliseconds before curtain and waltzed right in thru the guardless doors to a position dead center forty feet from stage.

Once established in my stomping ground I began to gaze about the entire venue and noticed the balcony about two-thirds full. The floor was peopled, but not ear-to-ear. It was a very comfortable exchange.

When I saw Bob Menke's name attributed to this presentation I immediately glommed onto it. Folks, I'm telling ya, you always got a good one if Menke's name is attached. The guy just oozes recorded Dead.

When you hear Jerry light up on Jack Straw you know right away that you are in middle of the proverbial pudding. How any mortal could play guitar and sing simultaneously with such pizazz is beyond realm of my conception. It utterly dazzles and delights. The tone is marvelous and the picking the kind that would like a curmudgeon grin ear-to-ear like the audience that was...

Not.

Meanwhile, down on the floor you feel the breeze of the roof vents drawing your soul strainingly upward with the realization that it is a perfect Dead night and it is a night you may never get again, so, you hang on. You hang so inexorably on.

And on and on and on they go defibrillating your ticker to full on-set of flow. You let your imagination breed and flourish. And then...

And then you get get get get get Scarlet Begonias to open the second relapse into complete oblivion rapid departure.

Scarlet!
Fire!

A Scarlet soul search leading to a...

Fire On The Mountain. a Fire so pristine consuming and untouched by human digit.

Back into Scarlet after a total Jerry meltdown ala throw all caution to the wind. The guy is like literally engulfed in flame. Hazard. Extinguisher's ready!

Lock and Load! Right smack dab into Eyes of the World rockin and rollin and weavin and sockin. Pure absolute joy>giddy bliss.

The drum section is so good I dare not leave my prime position. Within minutes the band shows back on stage and gets right into the jam and goes completely crazy. Then they effortlessly drop down into a decade-stopping version of If I Had The World To Give. Listen to Jerry's vocals and his accompanying guitar singing us a song from the heart he knew he would never reprise. It brings tears of utter soul-releasing joy. You will share tears of guilt-relieving ecstasy!

Gotta rate this show a 47 out of 5 stars. The band is on fire and wanting to blast us to the rafters and they do, they do~!

listening to this If I Had the World To Give.
Only stay here because if I close my eyes, I could swear this was happening in this house on this night. Sounds that good!
Tugs at the innermost secret heart strings- this mesmerizing rare gem of a pull.
Like previous reviewer sib, heard it early and have loved it long.
Whole show is awesome.
Sound is super special quality...A+ and I'm picky.

If I had A Song To Pick...If I Had The World To Give would Be one of them. Another timeless Jerry ballad that is overlooked by many. In fact a lot of so-called Deadheads don't even know the tune. The 8-30-1978 was one of my first bootlegs as a kid. I also saw my first show a few days later at the meadowlands in NJ. I wish they kept playing this song instead of a Black Peter or something like that. Don't get me wrong, Black peter is a beautiful tune, but not one I wanted to see after the 50th time.